Extremal problems in the cube and the grid and other combinatorial results

This dissertation contains results from various areas of combinatorics. In Chapters 2, 3 and 4 we consider questions in the area of isoperimetric inequalities. In Chapter 2, we find the exact classification of all subsets A⊆{0,1}^n for which both A and A^c minimise the size of the neighbourhood, which answers a question of Aubrun and Szarek. Harper's inequality implies that the initial segments of the simplicial order satisfy these conditions, but we prove that in general there are non-trivial examples of such sets as well. In Chapter 3, we consider the zero-deletion shadow, which is closely related to the general coordinate deletion shadow introduced by Danh and Daykin. We prove that there is a certain order on [k]^n={0,...,k-1}^n, the n-dimensional grid of side-length k, whose initial segments minimise the size of the zero-deletion shadow. In Chapter 4, we consider the following generalisation of the Kruskal-Katona theorem on [k]^n. For a set A⊆[k]^n, define the d-shadow of A to be the set of all points x obtained from any y∈A by replacing one non-zero coordinate of y by 0. We find an order on [k]^n whose initial segments minimise the size of the d-shadow. In Chapter 5, we consider a certain combinatorial game called Toucher-Isolator game that is played on the edges of a given graph G. The value of the game on G measures how many vertices of G one of the players can achieve by using the edges claimed by her. We find the exact value of the game when G is a path or a cycle of a given length, and we prove that among the trees on n vertices, the path on n vertices has the least value of the game. These results improve previous bounds obtained by Dowden, Kang, Mikalački and Stojaković. In Chapter 6, we consider a problem in Ramsey Theory related to the Hales-Jewett theorem. We prove that for any 2-colouring of [3]^n there exists a monochromatic combinatorial line whose active coordinate set is an interval, provided that n is large. This disproves a conjecture of Conlon and Kamćev. In Chapter 7, we give a construction of a graph G that is P6-induced-saturated, where P6 is the path on 6 vertices. This answers a question of Axenovich and Csikós

Induced saturation of graphs

A graph $G$ is $H$-saturated for a graph $H$, if $G$ does not contain a copy of $H$ but adding any new edge to $G$ results in such a copy. An $H$-saturated graph on a given number of vertices always exists and the properties of such graphs, for example their highest density, have been studied intensively. A graph $G$ is $H$-induced-saturated if $G$ does not have an induced subgraph isomorphic to $H$, but adding an edge to $G$ from its complement or deleting an edge from $G$ results in an induced copy of $H$. It is not immediate anymore that $H$-induced-saturated graphs exist. In fact, Martin and Smith (2012) showed that there is no $P_4$-induced-saturated graph. Behrens et.al. (2016) proved that if $H$ belongs to a few simple classes of graphs such as a class of odd cycles of length at least $5$, stars of size at least $2$, or matchings of size at least $2$, then there is an $H$-induced-saturated graph. This paper addresses the existence question for $H$-induced-saturated graphs. It is shown that Cartesian products of cliques are $H$-induced-saturated graphs for $H$ in several infinite families, including large families of trees. A complete characterization of all connected graphs $H$ for which a Cartesian product of two cliques is an $H$-induced-saturated graph is given. Finally, several results on induced saturation for prime graphs and families of graphs are provided.Comment: 30 pages, 12 figure